Name: Christine Tran
Year: 2nd Year
Major: International Studies & Sociology Major, minor in Management
On Friday, March 11, 2011, disaster struck Japan with a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, inevitably causing a tsunami that devastated the small island. The subsequent aftermath resulted in thousands of deaths, losses of homes, and explosions at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. It has been estimated that the disaster could cost over $310 billion to repair. During all of this, one student realized that she must do something to help Japan in its time of need. Many have donated money and time to support Japan, but Christine Tran has gone a step further by creating her own fundraiser.
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Christine Tran, a 20-year-old second year, felt obligated to help out the affected people of Japan, even though she herself has no family or friends in Japan. Growing up a girl scout, Christine has always had a passion for helping others. A truly dedicated woman, Christine researched and watched the news constantly after the horrible disaster took over the media. Saddened by the fact that she could not be there to help, she decided it was her duty to do all she could to raise money.
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Christine dedicated her entire spring break to this fundraiser, constantly emailing and contacting those who wanted to donate and buy t-shirts and wristbands. Her fundraiser started out within 24 hours of the actual earthquake and originally was meant solely for her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. Later, she realized she could get other organizations involved, which led to the idea that she could sell t-shirts and wristbands to everyone on campus. This eventually spread to selling t-shirts and wristbands off campus in front of Kobe Sushi. Through her website, she received orders from other states, including Virginia and Washington, and even other countries.
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Although this fundraiser became such a big success, there were definitely trying moments for Christine, who basically ran the entire fundraiser single handedly. Many of her orders came through emails, which she personally responded to. Some were not as happy as others. Even though there were these bumpy moments, Christine still continued on with her goal to help Japan efforts.
Charging $5 per shirt and wristband, Christine brought in over 3,000 customers by advertising with her sisters, family, friends, and through Facebook. Christine ended up raising $18,952 by March 30th, completely surpassing her original goal of $5,000. Because she raised such a large amount, she even had to create a contract with the Red Cross as a Third Party Fundraiser. What is even more amazing is the fact that Christine did not even fully reimburse herself. Only half the money she spent toward ordering all the shirts and wristbands was given back to her—the rest she offered as her own donation. Even though she did not fully reimburse herself, she never felt that she lost anything, stating, “If anything, I gained a lot knowing how much this is going to benefit Japan.”